Allentown council to vote on clean air ordinance

ALLENTOWN (AP) — The city council in Allentown is set to vote on a clean air ordinance that would include round-the-clock monitoring of any new waste-to-energy plants built there.

But the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection says any such ordinance may be at odds with state law. The DEP’s chief counsel, David Raphael, says such monitoring falls under the department’s exclusive authority.

Opponents of a planned incinerator have gathered 2,175 signatures to propose an ordinance that would include around-the-clock monitoring of Delta Thermo Energy Inc. City council approved a 35-year contract with the company in March 2012, and they plan to build a $49 million waste-to-energy facility.

The clean air bill will be voted on Wednesday. It would require monitoring, data disclosure, emission limits and fees for any new waste-to-energy facilities in Allentown.